Climate Connections: Sunday Streets reclaims public space
Claire Bonino-Britsch
Imagine your neighborhood street free of cars, instead filled with people. Children jump rope and race. Adults meander while enjoying local fare and listening to live music playing across the way. Walkers, rollers, and bikers flow by unhurried by traffic, eager for the next opportunity to experience Missoula’s streets as safe and celebrated spaces for car-free transportation.
This is Sunday Streets.
The annual celebration of community, active transportation, and our largest public asset - our streets - began in Missoula in 2010 and quickly became a local favorite for its slow streets dedicated to people-powered fun. Its roots go much further back, though.
Bogota, Colombia’s Ciclovia sparked a global “open streets” phenomenon in the 1970’s, by closing 75 miles of streets to cars and opening them up to bikers, walkers, movers of all sorts every single Sunday. The movement soon spread across the world as a way to create public spaces that highlight active modes of transportation and community gathering hubs teeming with life.
This Sunday, September 15th, from 12 - 4 PM, the organizers of Sunday Streets Missoula bring a taste of that freedom to the University District streets with a one-mile route designed to help Missoulians envision another, more livable type of community - one that fosters healthy lifestyles and neighborhood connection.
Missoula In Motion, dedicated to promoting sustainable transportation, hosts Sunday Streets Missoula and emphasizes the event’s ability to influence our travel behavior. Highlighting the supportive bike and walking infrastructure already existing in our neighborhoods through Sunday Streets moves Missoulians toward modes of transportation that benefit our whole community.
In Missoula, transportation makes up nearly 40% of our community’s climate pollution. That means that how you choose to travel is one of the most impactful decisions you can make on a daily basis to improve our valley’s air quality and overall sustainability.
It can be tricky to make the choice to step out of the vehicle and hit the pavement, but not during Sunday Streets! Here, people come first.
The University District is home to shady sidewalks, traffic-calming circles, and peaceful greenways, making it an ideal location for bike and walkability! During Sunday Streets, these features aren’t just part of the scenery - they are active components of the event, encouraging participants to imagine how our spaces could evolve into vibrant public spaces for people-powered activities.
Pair that vision with live music, free fitness classes, 50+ activities hosted by local organizations, and food vendors and it’s a perfect opportunity to build a sustainable transportation habit.
Just like protected bike lanes increase bike ridership, open streets programs re-introduce neighborhoods to residents as places to travel sustainably, turning one-day experiences into everyday habits. When people are reminded how it feels to travel sustainably on foot, scooter, bike, and blade, they get hooked.
At Sunday Streets, Missoula gets to celebrate that feeling. Enjoy the UM Roots Ensemble’s Appalachian standards next to games with Climate Smart Missoula. Build your strength at one of four free fitness classes before sustaining your energy with some local food vendors. Move beyond the park for play - bring it right into the street.
That’s where we’ll be.
Sunday Streets Missoula is more than a car-free day—it’s a glimpse into a future where our streets are for people. It’s about reimagining what our city could be if we prioritized health, community, and sustainability. This year’s event in the University District offers a perfect opportunity to see that vision come to life in one of Missoula’s most charming neighborhoods. So, mark your calendar and come see what it’s all about!
For more information about Sunday Streets Missoula and how you can get involved with the open streets movement visit SundayStreetsMissoula.org.
Claire Bonino-Britsch is a Transportation Demand Management Specialist with Missoula in Motion. Climate Smart Missoula brings this Climate Connections column to you several Fridays per month. Learn more about our work and subscribe to our e-newsletter at missoulaclimate.org.